24 Best Skylines in the World

The best skylines in the world are, for the most part, modern, gleaming, and pointy. Employing state-of-the-art engineering and building techniques, countries throw up the most eye-catching and cloud-scraping creations possible to enhance their city’s international curb appeal. As we know from the Tower of Babel, this is an enduring human tradition.

But for the skylines to truly pop, contrast is required. A backdrop of natural splendor offsets the clean lines and reflective surfaces of today’s skylines. Points of interest from other architectural periods enhance the modern, while extraordinary one-offs, such as Rio’s Christ the Redeemer, can supersede the need for skyscrapers entirely.

Add some water—ideally a tranquil bay—and you’ve all the ingredients for one of the most beautiful skylines in the world. Start planning your next visit to a stunning urban vista with this list of the best skylines in the world.

Sydney Harbour, Sydney, Australia

New South Wales’s capital is a shining example of forward-thinking urban design wrought in harmony with a stunning natural landscape. Hugging the coves and inlets of beautiful Port Jackson Bay, Sydney Harbour is the epicenter of this city’s graceful modernity. What makes Sydney Harbour one of the best skylines in the world is its panorama of disparate elements.

The angular curves of the avant-garde Sydney Opera House are set against the cluster of towers in the Central Business District. Rising above them all is the nearly 1,000-foot-tall Sydney Tower Eye, with its top-heavy proportions like that of a dandelion clock. Completing the panorama is the heritage-listed steel Sydney Harbour Bridge, with its graceful industrial arch rolling gently towards the skyscrapers of Sydney.

The observation deck on the Sydney Tower Eye, one of the most popular Sydney landmarks, offers a wonderful view of the scene, but a tour of the harbor by boat is hard to beat.

Central, Hong Kong

Images of Hong Kong’s skyline at night might make it look like a confection of towering ornaments, but its vertical architecture is an absolute necessity. Spread over a hilly, waterside 50,000 acres (a quarter the size of New York), its population of seven-and-a-half million (only one million less than NYC) inhabits a high-rise forest of some 9,000 buildings.

Duly, its skyline is a remarkable sight, especially as Hong Kong lays claims to four of the world’s 15 tallest buildings. The largest of those is the 108-story international commerce center, home to the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong. From the dizzying heights of the hotel windows, the huge container ships moving slowly into port look like chunky iron filings.

As if having the world’s greatest number of buildings over 500 feet wasn’t enough, the city puts on a light and sound show every night at 8 p.m. that would make Las Vegas proud. The Symphony of Lights involves around 40 of the most charismatic skyscrapers in the Central district. One of the best places to watch the lights dance across the cityscape and the water of Victoria Harbour below is the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade.

Read: Three Days in Hong Kong

Manhattan, New York, USA

Manhattan has one of the world’s most instantly recognizable skylines. It’s a beloved backdrop of film and television, with its famous grid of handsome towers, and beetling yellow cabs as familiar to many as the buildings in their own hometowns.

While the Big Apple’s skyline has developed with time, it’s the stars of the 1930s that continue to hog the limelight. These include the art deco Empire State Building—at the time the tallest building in the world before it was surpassed by the stainless steel crown of the Chrysler Building—and the verdigris-tipped, Gothic-revival Woolworth Tower. The layers of architectural styles give the Manhattan skyline added depth.

Despite its lagging in the height stakes these days, the Empire State’s observation decks still offer some of the best perspectives of New York. (Note: the 86th floor is better for photographs as the higher deck is behind glass.)

Corcovado Mountain, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Coastal Rio enjoys one of the world’s most photogenic locations for a major metropolis. With its high rises and homes looking out on the tropical waters of Guanabara Bay, the skyline of the second-most-populous city in Brazil is a 360-degree experience.

And while Rio itself is a city filled with architectural marvels, such as the Santiago Calatrava-designed Museum of Tomorrow, it’s the simple drama of Christ the Redeemer crowning Corcovado Mountain that makes this one of the most beautiful skylines in the world.

The largest Art Deco sculpture on Earth—and a New Seven Wonder of the World—the statue rises from the tangle of the South American jungle, its protective stance encompassing the citizenry and the 130 islands basking in the bay. Best of all, you can see the famous South American landmark from pretty much anywhere in the city—including the beach.

Downtown Los Angeles, California, USA

Besides its appearance in innumerable movies, the skyline of Downtown Los Angeles is, taken on its own, not that remarkable. The skyscrapers’ uninspired buzzcuts are the result of a law, changed only in 2014, dictating flat tops to accommodate helicopter landing pads. Most distinctive among the skyscrapers is the 1,018-foot U.S. Bank Tower, its summit reminiscent of a travel plug.

What makes this one of the best skylines in the world is how the surging towers starkly contrast with the vast, mostly low-rise urban sprawl that surrounds it. Topping it off, when viewed from the famous California coastline, is the backdrop of the rugged San Gabriel Mountains.

The Griffith Observatory is the best spot to get a perspective on the epic skyline of California’s largest city. If you want to see it up close, head to the Standard Hotel’s rooftop bar in the evening to be enfolded within this glittering grove of skyscrapers and high-rises.

Downtown Vancouver, Canada

Often used as a cinematic stand-in for New York, Vancouver has one of the best skylines in the world, set against the grandiose, often snow-capped North Shore Mountains. It’s also the city with the greatest number of residential high-rises per capita on the North American continent.

Amid the field of glassy towers—carefully planned to create a spacious, light-filled urban village—you’ll see the gleaming 62-story Shangri-La Hotel nosing above the rest. The second tallest is the twisted Trump International Hotel and Tower. Rather less reflective than those but no less eye-catching is the Marine Building. This stocky Art Deco masterpiece was once the British Empire’s tallest skyscraper when it first graced the downtown skyline in 1930.

More instantly identifiable is “The Lookout Tower”, emerging like a UFO from the otherwise anonymous Harbour Center. In the tower is the Top of Vancouver Revolving Restaurant, where you can find unobstructed 360-degree views of the city while also enjoying some warming butternut squash ravioli with sage cream. For a view of the skyline across English Bay, head to Stanley Park.

Historic Center, Rome, Italy

Rome’s skyline is the antithesis of most of the other cities found on this list. It’s a skyline of opaque domes rather than gleaming points, of rosy terracotta tile, boxy campaniles, and lofty winged statues. Classically Italian, it’s one of the most beautiful skylines in the world.

Local building law dictates that no building in the historical center may rise higher than the graceful dome of St. Peter’s, the dominant structure in the skyline. The lack of skyscrapers means that, from any number of the city’s seven hills, you can enjoy fantastic perspectives across the Eternal City. The best is probably found in the Orange Garden high on the Aventine Hill. From this popular shady spot, Rome is laid out before you.

Xinyi Special District, Taipei, Taiwan

Taipei’s many high-rises and towers are dwarfed by the jade-colored Taipei 101 Skyscraper. This extraordinary structure, stretching up to 1,671 feet, was the world’s tallest building until the completion of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa towards the end of 2009. The Taipei 101 also boasts one of the world’s fastest elevators—from the fifth floor to 89th in 37 seconds.

Joining it prominently on the skyline of the capital of Taiwan is the Taipei Nan Shan Plaza. Travel up to the fine-dining Indian restaurant, Saffron 46, on its top level and you’ll be rewarded with good food and an even better view of the adjacent Taipei 101.

Indicating that the Taiwanese have lost no appetite for startling architecture is the recent addition of the eco-minded Tao Zhu Yin Yuan Tower to the skyline.

A short 20-minute hike up Elephant Mountain provides you with superb views over the city. If you do happen to be in Taipei on New Year’s Eve, be sure to have a good vantage point of the Taipei 101, which plays a spectacular central role in the city’s incendiary display.

San Francisco, USA

Hamstrung—or perhaps helped—by the lurking threat of the San Andreas, San Francisco’s relatively low-slung skyline is nevertheless highly distinctive.

Its most recognizable building is the triangle-topped Transamerica Pyramid. The futurist obelisk was, at 853 feet, the world’s eighth-tallest building when it was completed in 1972. Since then, the Salesforce Tower has vaulted clear of it to become the tallest building in San Francisco. This gleaming skyscraper, completed in 2018, nudges just under 1,000 feet and makes use of the latest advances in seismic analysis and design.

The Salesforce Tower also offers a viewing deck with incredible views over the city and the glittering bay—or the fog, depending on the weather.

Read: One Day in San Francisco

Singapore

Singapore has one of the most architecturally creative and exciting skylines around. As the second-most densely populated country in the world, it’s little wonder that the city-state takes such a vertical approach to living.

Most eye-catching, of course, is the $5.7 billion Marina Bay Sands—the world’s most expensive building—which is one of the most popular landmarks in Singapore. The Moshe Safdie-designed Marina Bay Sands is a skyline in itself, with its trio of curving towers holding aloft the table-like SkyPark.

Other buildings that establish Singapore as having one of the best skylines in the world include the bristling Esplanade performance center, the neon Supertrees in Gardens by the Bay, and the sculptural ArtScience Museum.

The best view? Well, it has to be from the rooftop infinity pool of the Marina Bay Sands, although you have to check in to dive in. Still extraordinary are the views from the hotel’s observation deck.

Read: Three Days in Singapore

Shinjuku City, Tokyo, Japan

While Tokyo’s Shinjuku City area offers the classic view of the Tokyo skyline—with Mount Fuji behind it—the most populous city in the world does look good from more than one angle.

However, it’s the 2,080-feet-high Tokyo Skytree, the world’s second-tallest structure, that draws the eye. A neo-futuristic take on a Japanese pagoda, it has a terrifyingly high Tembo Galleria observation platform that delivers an almost satellite’s-eye perspective. Amid the skyscrapers, another stand-out feature of the skyline is the Tokyo Tower—a red and white take on the Eiffel Tower.

Head to the Bunko Civic Center Observation Lounge for incredible views all the way over Skytree, Shinjuku, and Mount Fuji when the skies are clear.

Read: Three Days in Tokyo

Downtown Seattle, USA

Often considered to be the best skyline in the USA, Seattle’s is an eclectic grouping of interesting and unusual buildings arranged across a hill. With the biodiverse waters of Puget Sound to one side and the stately cone of Mount Rainier in the distance, it’s also one of the best skylines in the world.

Inspired by Vancouver’s approach, the city’s tower-spacing regulations have restricted the growth of new skyscrapers in the downtown area. The chunky Columbia Center, built in 1895, remains the city’s tallest building at 933 feet. Better known is the iconic Space Needle, built as an observation tower for the 1962 World’s Fair and today a historic landmark of the Pacific Northwest.

How long the skyscraping status quo lasts in one of the fastest-growing cities in the US remains to be seen. However, it’s likely that Sunset Hill Park will continue to offer the best views over Downtown Seattle and towards Mount Rainier.

Seoul, South Korea

If you stand on the shores of the Han River, it’s hard not to be in awe of Seoul’s modern skyline, one of the most famous city skylines in Asia.

Your eyes will gravitate toward the city’s architectural masterpieces, where sleek, modern skyscrapers evoke futurism while remaining deeply rooted in Korean tradition.

Lotte World Tower, a gleaming 1,821 feet tall glass-and-steel obelisk, shoots into the sky and features the glass-floored Seoul Sky Deck.

It’s the tallest building in South Korea. Inside, the Seoul Sky Observatory affords a 360-degree view, and on a clear day, you might catch a glimpse of Incheon and the Yellow Sea.

The city’s skyline continues to change with its newer additions. The Dongdaemun Design Plaza is a neo-futuristic construction designed by Zaha Hadid, which adds a more sculptural architectural appeal to the city’s visual profile.

For stellar views, you can climb Namsan Mountain and head up to the N Seoul Tower, one of the best places to visit in Seoul. This popular observation point comes with incredible skyline panoramas, punctuated by traditional temple roofs and soaring high-rises.

Waikiki, Honolulu, USA

Waikiki’s skyline in Honolulu is where tropical paradise meets urban sophistication, with towering resorts butting up against some of the world’s most famous beaches.

Stroll down Kalakaua Avenue, and you’ll see gleaming high rise buildings set against a backdrop of swaying palm trees and turquoise water, creating quite the contrast.

The best place to take in the entire scope of Waikiki’s famous skylines is at the summit of Diamond Head, the extinct volcanic crater that looms over the eastern end of the beach.

You’ll have to do a short but steep hike to reach the top, but once you make it, you’ll be rewarded with a view of high-rises ringed around the bay, the blue expanse of the Pacific, and the rugged spine of Oahu’s mountain range in the distance.

Another stellar vantage point is from the Top of Waikiki, a revolving restaurant and bar that gives you a moving panorama over the city and coastline from 23 levels above the ground.

Auckland, New Zealand

From modern skyscrapers to volcanic cones and craters, Auckland’s skyline is one of the most diverse in the world. For a true showstopper, visit the Sky Tower, the city’s tallest structure at 1,076 feet, and make your way to the top.

As one of the tallest freestanding structures in the southern hemisphere, the Sky Tower’s observation deck offers 360-degree views of spots like Waitematā Harbour and the volcanic cone of Rangitoto Island, which are hard to beat.

You can even try the wire-based SkyJump or SkyWalk outside the observation deck if you’re feeling brave.

The downtown skyline of Auckland is also anchored by taller structures like PwC Tower, as well as Commercial Bay, a glittering waterfront complex that brings together shopping, dining, and business.

For another perspective on the city’s skyline, one of the best things to do in Auckland is to visit Mount Eden or One Tree Hill. Both are grassy extinct volcanoes offering peaceful, elevated views of the entire cityscape and Auckland’s sparkling harbors.

Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona’s skyline is a living architectural canvas woven from ancient spires and pinnacles, modernist masterpieces, and soaring towers.

The most iconic building in the city is, of course, the Sagrada Família, Antoni Gaudí’s unfinished basilica that shimmers brightly, its slender spires adorned with colorful organic forms.

From the basilica’s surreal Nativity and Passion Towers, you’ll have some of the best views of Barcelona, overlooking the city’s red terracotta rooftops and the Mediterranean.

If you want an even higher perspective, head for Tibidabo Hill and the Temple Expiatori del Sagrat Cor church, which looks out over the city. From this spot, you can really get a sense of how Barcelona unfolds before you.

Barcelona’s skyline is full of quirky architectural nuggets, tucked away in every corner of the city. Don’t miss the conical-shaped Torre Glòries—formerly known as Torre Agbar—with a top floor that lights up at night in a kaleidoscope of colors.

Along the beachfront, you’ll find Hotel Arts and the Mapfre Tower, both of which help give the city its modern coastal profile.

From Gaudí’s playful buildings, such as Casa Batlló and Casa Milà, to modern seaside structures like the sail-shaped Hotel W Barcelona, Barcelona’s skyline just continues to get more impressive.

Boston Seaport, USA

Boston’s Seaport District’s skyline serves up a striking contrast between the old and new. Seaport was once a hodgepodge of abandoned warehouses, but it’s now a gleaming, glass-and-steel playground of innovation and creative design.

The skyline here is anchored by glossy towers such as One Seaport Square and The St. Regis Residences. They may not soar to the dizzying heights of New York or Tokyo, but they do tend to sparkle, especially when viewed from the water.

The Seaport district is filled with pedestrian-friendly walkways, rooftop terraces, and green spaces that add to its unique architectural style.

Surrounded by water, this slice of Boston manages to capture the city’s mix of heritage, found in spots like the Fort Point neighborhood, with its older brick buildings, and the area’s more modern, gleaming structures.

Paris, France

Paris may not reach toward the sky as boldly as other cities do. Still, its low-rise skyline is home to some of the most iconic buildings on earth, including the Eiffel Tower, which is probably the most recognizable piece of architecture in Europe.

But the Eiffel Tower isn’t the only Parisian structure that defines its skyline. The Montparnasse Tower—despite its occasionally derided brutalist monolithic appearance—features a 56th-floor observatory, which is one of the best spots from which to view Paris.

Other Parisian landmarks that have put the French capital on the list of famous city skylines include the domed Sacré-Cœur basilica, Notre-Dame cathedral, the Louvre museum, and some of the skyscrapers located in the La Défense district, including the cube-shaped La Grande Arche de la Défense.

Downtown Osaka, Japan

From the moment you reach Osaka’s downtown area, you’re surrounded by a dizzying mixture of audacious architecture, dazzling neon, and sleek-looking skyscrapers towering above the Yodo River.

The city’s tallest high-rise is Abeno Harukas. Its airy and glass-filled observation deck is a must for anyone visiting Osaka, with the Kansai region’s metropolis sprawling out in all directions.

Another “must” is the Umeda Sky Building, which has an open-air floating garden observatory deck that links its two futuristic towers at the top. It’s a beautiful and thrilling setting from where you can check out the urban vistas.

Additionally, during the day, and especially at night, districts like Namba and the shopping-focused Shinsaibashi really come into their own, where LED screens and illuminated signs create fun and dynamic skylines that you’ll want to see for yourself.

Southbank, Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne’s Southbank district is one of the most photogenic in the southern hemisphere. As you stand along the banks of the Yarra River, you can watch the glass towers reflect in the shimmering water.

One of the tallest towers in town is the Eureka Tower, which soars 975 feet into the air. Take note of the building’s gold-plated crown and red stripe, which represent the blood that was spilled in the Eureka Stockade rebellion of 1854.

Ride the elevator up to Eureka’s Melbourne Skydeck, one of the highest public observation decks in the southern hemisphere, located on the 88th level, where you can gaze out at the city.

Australia 108 tower, currently the tallest building in Melbourne, features a unique “Starburst” design in the 70th-floor area, and is certainly another skyscraper to admire.

If you feel like a walk, trek over to Birrarung Marr Park, on the northern bank of the river, where you’ll find yourself in a lovely green space with the entire city skyline laid out before you.

Reykjavík, Iceland

While the idea of notable skylines and Iceland might not be the first thing that comes to mind, there’s a lot to be said for Reykjavík’s more modest, yet very distinctive silhouette.

The Icelandic capital is distinct and memorable for its colorful rooftops, striking backdrops, and a special church that brings architectural charm to Reykjavík’s skyline.

The unique-looking Hallgrímskirkja church in downtown Reykjavík is the city’s true “skyline star.” It’s a 244-foot-tall stepped concrete structure built to resemble Iceland’s famous basalt lava columns.

The church’s futuristic design feels entirely organic at the same time. The view from the top will take your breath away, with a jigsaw puzzle of rooftops in vibrant reds, blues, and greens spread out before you.

Reykjavík’s skyline emphasizes cohesion rather than size. Tall buildings are few and far between here, which gives the city’s skyline an intimate, wide-open quality.

Take a hike up Öskjuhlíð Hill and wander over to the glass-domed Perlan, a building that sits atop water tanks and features a full-circle observation deck that spirals around the entire dome.

You’ll get a 360-degree view across the capital, with the Snæfellsjökull glacier visible on especially clear days.

The combination of creative manmade structures, like the geometrically distinct, glass-covered Harpa Concert Hall, and Iceland’s stark geology, makes for some memorable skyline views.

Alfama District, Lisbon, Portugal

Another quaint but unique skyline comes in the shape of Lisbon’s Alfama district, which has a skyline that’s not made up of towering modern structures, but rather one that overflows with colorful tiled facades, domed churches, and sloping rooftops.

Alfama rises over the Tagus River and up toward the São Jorge Castle. In every direction you turn, you’ll be rewarded with postcard-perfect panoramas.

Head to one of the lookout points, like Miradouro de Santa Luzia or the platform-like Miradouro das Portas do Sol, and you’ll be gazing out over a sea of terracotta rooftops broken only by whitewashed bell towers and the towering baroque dome of the National Pantheon.

The architecture here whispers of Moorish history, medieval construction, and Portuguese tradition, from the Sé Cathedral, which sits solidly in the Lisbon skyline with its fortress-like structure, to the Church of São Vicente de Fora’s graceful design.

For a different view, hop on the almost-always overcrowded Tram 28 as it winds its way through the district’s narrow streets. Through the tram windows, you’ll catch glimpses of Lisbon’s rooftops and tiled mosaics as you ride around the hills.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur’s skyline is defined by its gleaming towers, Islamic designs, and more greenery than you might expect.

The obvious icons in Kuala Lumpur are the Petronas Twin Towers, which at 1,483 feet were once the world’s tallest buildings. Visit the observation deck on level 86 for an amazing panorama.

Nearby, the KL Tower, or Menara Kuala Lumpur, rises from the Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve. It has a viewing tower with a 360-degree viewing platform, too.

For more fabulous vistas, visit SkyBar at the Traders Hotel for an incredible window over the Petronas Twin Towers, with their minaret-inspired design shimmering away in all of their glory.

It doesn’t matter if you’re looking up at Kuala Lumpur’s famous skyline from below, or peering down from above; the results are unforgettable.

Marseille, France

If you want to experience one of the most unique city skylines in the world, head to Marseille.

Gazing out from the edges of the city, your eye is immediately drawn to the unmistakable and imposing silhouette of Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde, or as locals simply call her, “la Bonne Mère.”

Rising high above the city on a dramatic outcrop of limestone, this basilica is one of the most prominent features of Marseille’s physical and spiritual landscape. From here, you will be treated to jaw-dropping views over the city.

The city is cloaked in a fascinating juxtaposition of the old and the new. The Old Port is guarded by the imposing presence of the 17th-century Fort Saint-Jean, with its ancient stone walls bearing witness to the city’s earlier history.

For a touch of modernity, one of the best things to do in Marseille is to visit the La Marseillaise skyscraper, featuring a colorful façade with lots of red, designed to match the city’s colors. It’s this stark contrast between the ancient and the new that gives Marseille’s skyline its distinctive Mediterranean vibe.

FAQs

See these incredible skylines and more on a cruise to some of the world’s most sought-after destinations. Browse our cruise itineraries online and book your next great adventure.